Known cooling systems equipped with a thermosyphon can use water and air as heat carriers, and use a coolant as an intermediate cooling medium.
The monitoring technology which is currently used for air-air and air-water cooling systems can be unreliable in predicting and assessing the operation of the thermosyphon.
For example, it can be difficult to obtain an early determination relating to the filling level of the system with the heat carrier medium. The temperature and pressure difference values, which are in each case measured through sensors, alone may not be suitable for providing this information. These sensors can later identify a fault, only in the case of a coolant leakage.
In cooling systems in which the current technologies, for example air-water heat exchangers, air-air heat exchangers and laminate tube bundle heat exchangers are used, the function and operational reliability can be monitored through various sensors that measure values such as water leakage, pressure difference, and temperature.
Water leakage sensors have been used in maritime application to detect a fracture in the air-water cooler and, correspondingly, to prevent the ingress of water into electrical functional areas of the housing.
Difference-pressure sensors can monitor the fans or the air inlets and air outlets of the cooling system.
Temperature measurement can be used to monitor the temperatures of the cooling air and of the windings and, possibly, to initiate corrective measures.
European Patent Application No. 09015185.3 discloses a cooling system that is intended for cooling a transformer and makes use of the advantages of the thermosyphon principle, (e.g., thermosyphon technology).
However, known systems and methods do not include monitoring and diagnosis strategies.